Idaho Supreme Court Justice Jones to retire

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Supreme Court Justice Warren E. Jones has announced he will retire from the bench at the end of year.

Warren announced Friday he is retiring before the end of his elected term — which expires in January 2021 — due to personal and family health circumstances.

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed Jones to the state’s highest court in 2007.

Jones said in a prepared statement that serving as a Supreme Court justice has been a professional highlight of his legal career.

A new justice will be appointed by the governor to replace Jones from a list of two to four names provided by the Idaho Judicial Council.

Supreme Court justices in Idaho are nonpartisan elected positions. However, recently, it’s become common practice for justices to retire before the end of their term. The justice who is appointed to fill the vacancies rarely faces a challenger in the following election.

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